Member Highlight: Rugby Idaho Inc

Rugby Idaho Inc is passionately working towards making Idaho a national hotspot for Rugby. Started in 2009 as a means of providing opportunities for “athletes in first grade through high school to participate in rugby leagues, programs, and PE classrooms throughout Idaho” Rugby Idaho Inc has grown over the years.

​They have since expanded to focus on coach education, that includes, “positive mentoring and annual classes for anti-bullying and hazing, as well as strengthening the state’s concussion awareness programs,” says Executive Director, Audrey Billingsley.  

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Billingsley and team are also getting the local community involved by helping raise funds to support “disadvantaged, minority and low socioeconomic status kids.” Along with growth in the community, Rugby Idaho Inc is developing the Pink League. A league designed specifically for women that teaches “girls at a young age to be comfortable and accepting of their body image while being active and healthy.”  

Billingsley said that their mission is “to help our healthcare sponsors with combating childhood obesity. Rugby is a continuous play sport and is well aligned with the CDC guidelines of 60 minutes of activity.”

Upcoming events for Rugby Idaho Inc includes hosting the USA Rugby Regional Cup Tournament, called the Great Northwest Challenge. It’s a tournament that “helps players get recognition by scouts that could eventually lead to recruitment from colleges.” Last year 7 teams from Rugby Idaho Inc competed in the Regional Cup Tournament, that number hoping to expand as Rugby Idaho Inc grows.

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